Baby Rocker Glider

ABSTRACT

A system and apparatus for gliding rocking chairs comprises an adult rocking chair, a gliding base, a bassinet, and a latching mechanism, where the chair is attached to the base and a bassinet is placed on eth base to transfer the rocking motion of said chair to the bassinet. A system and method is disclosed in which a bassinet is attached to the stool and the stool is further attached to the rocker. The rocking motion allows the bassinet to be rocked in a hands free manner by the person sitting in the chair. Because the bassinet is placed on the footstool, both the bassinet and rocking chair thereafter move as one unit. The rocker has complete control of the bassinet; by simply slowing or speeding up their own rocking, the person in the rocker can control the rocking of the bassinet, hands free. Furthermore, the chair should have attachment points on both sides, so that the stool can be attached to either side of the chair, depending on the user&#39;s needs, allowing a different stool to be attached to each side if a parent has twins.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Not Applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of gliding rocking chairsconnected to a footstool to facilitate nursing activity by attaching toa rocking cradle or bassinet to provide a gentle, soothing rockingmotion. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bassinetrocking device that easily installs onto the rocker and the bassinet andcreates the desired rocking motion without creep or travel, i.e.,without the device causing the bassinet to move across the floor.

(2) Background of the Invention

The art is repleted with conventional rocking devices that may be usedin connection with a cradle, or in some cases with a rocking chair orother furniture, that are typically clamped onto the base of the cradleor other item, and typically have a bar or arm or leg that moves up anddown and pushes against the floor to create a rocking or “see-saw”motion. Because the reciprocating arm is moving against the floor, thedevice can produce a forward force, or sometimes a transverse force,that tends to move the cradle gradually across the floor. Somealternative arrangements are employed with cradles that are suspended ina frame and do not employ the conventional (curved) rocker bars at thebase. The rocking device is typically built in or has to be permanentlyinstalled in a retrofit fashion.

For most parents and other childcare providers, child pacificationdevices are a necessity. For convenience, most parents and childcareproviders set up and store such pacification devices in the householdfamily room or living room, which typically also contains adult-sizecomfort furniture. The combination of such child pacification devicesand adult size comfort furniture causes an overcrowded appearance in theroom. It would be desirable to provide a single device that is designedto safely contain and pacify an infant and is also designed tocomfortably support an adult.

Windup swings, walkers, rockers, and jumpers are a few devices known inthe prior art for pacifying infants. The reciprocating action of suchdevices provides gentle motion and a continuous change of scenery, bothof which generally soothes and pacifies an infant. However, none of theabove-listed child pacification devices can serve as furniture tocomfortably support an adult. While an electrically powered rotatingseat capable of supporting an adult is described in Chihaya et al. U.S.Pat. No. 4,969,685, the rotatable seat described by Chihaya is notdesigned to safely contain an infant, provide continuous rotation, or toaccept infant accessories, as required by a child pacification device.Furthermore, the chair described in Chihaya must be mounted to the floorand requires extensive gearing to be built into the rotating members.This gearing arrangement is expensive to construct.

In addition, not one has previously provided a compact, affordable,self-contained, attachable unit that can be employed with all or mosttypes of bassinets or cradles, and can provide a sustained, gentle, andsoothing rocking motion to satisfy the infant's comfort needs.

Various prior arts have disclosed gliding rocking chairs that provide asoothing motion to the infant bassinet. Patent No US 20120126595 A1discloses systems and methods for easily and safely changing theoperating modes for gliding rocking chairs and ottomans. U.S. Pat. No.5,931,534 A discloses an electrically-powered, continuously rotatingcarrier constructed to safely contain and pacify an infant andcomfortably support an adult. Similarly, other prior arts, U.S. Pat. No.6,761,671 B1, US 20130139313 A1, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,820,834 B2, alldisclose devices and methods for imparting a rocking motion to an infantbassinet and seat. All of the prior art system and apparatus suffer fromthe disadvantages that they are complicated, expensive, and/or not easyto operate.

The foregoing patents reflect the state of the art of which theapplicant is aware, and are tendered with the view toward dischargingthe applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing informationthat may be pertinent in the examination of this application. It isrespectfully stipulated, however, that none of these patents teach orrender obvious, singly or when considered in combination, theapplicant's claimed invention.

There is a need for a rocking chair connected to a bassinet device tocause gliding movement that can be sold and maintained as a separateunit, and which can be easily coupled to any existing bassinet or cradleof the type that has curved rocker bars or bases from which the mainsupport legs rise to the body of the cradle or bassinet. The deviceshould also be configured so that it can be coupled to a child's rockingchair for automatically providing a sustained, gentle rocking motion tothat item of furniture.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a new and improved gliding rocking chairthat rocks a bassinet with its motion, such that the user providesmotion to bassinet without use of his hands. As such, the generalpurpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequentlyin greater detail, is to provide a new and improved system and methodfor glider rocking chairs that has all the advantages of the prior art,and none of the disadvantages.

A primary objective of the invention is to provide an improved systemfor gliding rocking chairs attached to a footstool.

An objective of the invention is to provide an improved system forgliding rocking chairs with footstools that are used for rocking abassinet using the rocking motion of an adult glider rocker.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a system forgliding rocking chairs with the bassinet sitting on a gliding base.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method forgliding rocking chairs with the bassinet sitting on a gliding base wherethe base is detachable from the bassinet to use the bassinet independentof the rocking glider.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method forgliding rocking chairs with the bassinet sitting on a gliding base wherethe base is detachable from the bassinet to use the base as a footstoolindependent of the rocking gliding chair.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a method forgliding rocking chairs that are detachably attached to the bassinet andcan be used even after the baby no longer needs to be rocked.

It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a method forgliding rocking chairs that frees the adult's hands while simultaneouslyallowing full control on the bassinet.

It is also an objective of the present invention to provide an improvedsystem and method of attaching the gliding rocking chair to the footstool on which the bassinet is placed.

Furthermore, it is an objective of the present invention to providesystem and method that is much more flexible and economical to use whichcan be utilized in all kinds of rocking gliding chairs.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated.

Numerous objectives, features, and advantages of the present inventionwill be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon areading of the following detailed description of presently preferred,but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments, and of being practiced and carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology employed herein are for the purpose of description, andshould not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify various aspects of some example embodiments of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which areillustrated in the appended drawing. It is appreciated that the drawingdepicts only illustrated embodiments of the invention, and is,therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The inventionwill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the left side of the adult rocking chair withgliding base.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the right side of the adult rocking chair withgliding base .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present disclosure, described below, are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the preciseforms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, theembodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the artmay appreciate and understand the principles and practices of thepresent disclosure.

The following embodiments and the accompanying drawings, which areincorporated into and form part of this disclosure, illustrateembodiments of the invention, and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention. To the accomplishment of theforegoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of theinvention are described herein in connection with the followingdescription and the annexed drawing. These aspects are indicative,however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of theinvention can be employed, and the subject invention is intended toinclude all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages andnovel features of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the invention when considered in conjunctionwith the drawing.

Glider rockers may also be provided with an accompanying ottoman toprovide leg support for a user seated in the glider rocker. In somecases, the ottoman is a gliding ottoman that provides a greater range ofgliding movement for the user.

This section summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure, andbriefly introduces some preferred embodiments. Simplifications oromissions in this section, as well as in the abstract or the title ofthis description, may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of thissection, the abstract, and the title. Such simplifications or omissionsare not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, nor implyany limitations.

Referring to figures now in more detail. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustratescomponents of the gliding rocking chair including: an adult rockingchair 1 with the seat 7, gliding base 6 and latching mechanism 3, abassinet 4, stool with gliding base 5 and top 2.

Further FIG. 1 illustrates the front view of the right side of theinvention clearly showing the adult rocking chair with gliding base 6.The chair used for the invention can be any conventional chair thatrocks without using hands by the user. Further illustrated is latchingmechanism 3 which latches the chair 1 with the stool 2. The latchingmechanism is attached to the underside of the stool 2 and rocking chair1 and between the top of the stool 2 and seat 7 of the rocker chair 1such that the stool 2 and seat 7 are at same distance from the floor.The chair 1 glides forward and backwards, (along a horizontal plane).

FIG. 2 illustrates the front view of the left side of the invention. Thesystem is so arranged that the gliding base 5 moves in symphony withgliding base 6. Further the stool top 2 holds the bassinet 4. The stoolis set directly beside the chair 1 with no gap between the two, securedin place. The bassinet 4 has a slightly recessed bottom to allow sidesof the bassinet to hang over the edges of the stool, creating anattachment point between the edges of the bassinet and the stool similarto those between the stool and chair.

Gliding rocking chairs, also known as glider rockers, are chairs thatallow a user sitting in the chair to rock by gliding forward andbackward. Glider rockers have become particularly popular among peoplewith infants. In addition to comfortably supporting a person whileholding an infant, glider rockers provide a smooth rocking motion thatsoothes the infant. Correspondingly, glider rockers are used when aperson is nursing an infant.

The method of attachment is discrete and invisible in a way that woulddetract from the chair when the child is grown and the bassinet is nolonger needed. In most preferred embodiment of the invention, the top ofthe stool and the seat of the rocker are at the same distance from theground, thereby allowing any type of “male-female” latching mechanism tobe attached to the undersides of the stool and chair. The stool is thenset directly beside the rocker with no gap between the two and securedin place. The bassinet has a slightly recessed bottom that allows thesides of the bassinet to hang over the edges of the stool, creating anattachment point between the edges of the bassinet and the stool similarto those between the stool and chair.

In a preferred embodiment of the current invention the latchingmechanism used is selected from latches, clips, clamps or buckles or thelike. Further in another embodiment the chair of the invention isprovided with attachment points on both sides, so that the stool can beattached to either side of the chair, depending on the user's needs. Thelatching points are located on at least one side or both sides of therocking chair, allowing a different stool to be attached to each side ifa parent has twins.

When the bassinet is attached to the stool and the stool is furtherattached to the rocker, the rocking motion allows the bassinet to berocked in a hands free manner by the person sitting in the chair. Themotion of the rocking gliding chair is transferred to the footstool, andthe two rock together as one unit. Because the bassinet is placed on thefootstool, both the bassinet and rocking chair thereafter move as oneunit. The rocking chair has complete control of the bassinet rocking,simply by slowing or speeding up the rocking chair, the person in thechair can control the rocking of the bassinet, hands free.

Gliding rocking chairs glide forward and backwards, (along a horizontalplane), unlike traditional rocking chairs that roll forward andbackwards. This makes the gliding rocking chair safer and advantageousfor attaching a bassinet to, because the likelihood of over rocking thechair and causing the unit to tip over or the baby to roll in thebassinet is eliminated.

The method of installing the disclosed system allows full control of thebassinet with the said chair. The chair of the invention is safer forattaching a bassinet decreasing the likelihood of over rocking the chairand causing the unit to tip over or the baby to roll in the bassinet.

The material used in making the device in the invention is wood for thebody of the rocker and base, nuts, bolts, and metal brackets for thechairs and base gliding attachments, plastic or wicker for the bassinet,and cotton, polyester, leather, or microfiber for the chair upholstery.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the artthat any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose maybe substituted for the specific embodiment shown. This application isintended to cover any adaptations or variations of the presentinvention.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

Plural instances may be provided for components, operations, orstructures described herein as a single instance. Finally, boundariesbetween various components are somewhat arbitrary, and particularoperations are illustrated in the context of specific illustrativeconfigurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned, andmay fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter. In general,structures and functionality presented as separate components in theexemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure orcomponent. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a singlecomponent may be implemented as separate components. These and othervariations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall withinthe scope of the inventive subject matter.

I claim:
 1. A system for gliding rocking chairs, comprised of: an adultrocking chair; at least one gliding base; a bassinet; a latchingmechanism, wherein said rocking chair is attached to said gliding base;wherein said bassinet is placed on said base to transfer the rockingmotion of said chair to said bassinet.
 2. A system for gliding rockingchairs as claimed in claim 1, wherein said gliding base holds thebassinet.
 3. A system for gliding rocking chairs as claimed in claim 1,wherein said bassinet rocks with the rocking motion of the rockingchair.
 4. A system for gliding rocking chairs as claimed in claim 1,wherein said latching mechanism is attached to the underside of saidstool and said chair.
 5. A method of attachment for gliding rockingchairs comprising a latching mechanism between the top of the stool andseat of the rocker chair wherein said stool and seat are at samedistance from the floor.
 6. A method of attachment as claimed in claim5, wherein said stool is used for placing bassinet to be rocked.
 7. Amethod of attachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein said latchingmechanism is attached to the underside of said stool and said chair. 8.A method of attachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein said stool is setdirectly beside said rocker with no gap between the two secured inplace.
 9. A method of attachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein saidbassinet has a slightly recessed bottom to allow sides of the bassinetto hang over the edges of the stool, creating an attachment pointbetween the edges of the bassinet and the stool similar to those betweenthe stool and chair.
 10. A method of attachment as claimed in claim 5,wherein said stool can be detached from said chair when the child isgrown and the bassinet is no longer needed.
 11. A method of attachmentas claimed in claim 5, wherein said latching mechanism is latches.
 12. Amethod of attachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein said latchingmechanism is clips.
 13. A method of attachment as claimed in claim 5,wherein said latching mechanism is clamps or buckles.
 14. A method ofattachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein said method rocks the bassinetalong with said chair in a hands free way.
 15. A method of attachment asclaimed in claim 5, wherein said method allows full control of thebassinet with the said chair.
 16. A method of attachment as claimed inclaim 5, wherein said attachment points on both sides, so that the stoolcan be attached to either side of the chair, allowing a different stoolto be attached to each side if a parent has twins.
 17. A method ofattachment as claimed in claim 5, wherein said chair glide forward andbackwards, (along a horizontal plane).
 18. A method of attachment asclaimed in claim 5, wherein said chair is safer for attaching a bassinetdecreasing the likelihood of over rocking the chair and causing the unitto tip over or the baby to roll in the bassinet.